Thursday, February 4, 2016

MISSING T O D D L E R FOUND

TODD(LER)DeeDaH Dalet-Dalet-Hey

DEE-dahדדה[T(S)-L]

ROOTS:TODDLE (to walk with short, unsteady steps, to TEETER and TOTTER, or to DAWDLE aimlessly), TODDLER(an infant who toddles)and TOT (a small child) are all of “origin unknown” in the AHD. Dah, and Dah again. Too bad our language
experts are tone deaf. Maybe the clueless
wonders of historical linguistics would be able to connect the dots if only
there were a racially-correct, double-dental source
word.

The common Ben Yehuda’s pocket Hebrew dictionary has דדהDeeDaH
meaning to “walk as a baby,”but this is
far too exotic a research tool for a scholar of “Indo-European” etymology.

Harkavy hasדדהDaDaH meaning to “wander” (Isaiah38:15).דדהDeeDaH is to walk slowly, TOTTERING like a baby
(B-Y).

This word of shaking back and
forth (Psalms42:5) is related, in Harkavy’s
view, toנדדNaDahD,towander (Proverbs27:8.The comedy (tragedy averted) of Esther turns around when the king (Esther
6:1) is sleeplessly tossing and turning -- נדדNaDahD. See “NOD.”

BRANCHES: Besideswalking the walk of a TODDLER, the TITUBATION (the TOTTERING gait)of a TOT, we might also
hear infants talking the talk… as in the TITTER (giggle) of TITTLE-TATTLE. Even the tiny
size of a TITLE (iota, from the tiny י Yod) may speak to the little TOT.

Otherד-דDalet-Dalet words to relate to
the “unknown” TOT (especially suckling) includes
the דדDahD (breast, nipple) --see “TEAT” -- and the excessive, even DOTTY,DOTING
(fondness) ofידידYiDeeYD (beloved friend) that TOTS often expect and receive -- see “DADDY.”

See “DOODLE.”

---------------------------------------------------Note: This entry is too new to be in the 1600-page, 2016 version of E-WORD: The Edenics Digital Dictionary. (download at www.edenics.org -- $15)